MANNING -- IT FIGURES. I knew I wasn�t crazy about Peyton Manning. To me, he�s a great 1980s quarterback -- a classic pocket passer with zero mobility who, if he has to run, looks like he�s carrying a beach chair on his back. He�s been very lucky to have a great offensive line that minimizes the number of hurries and sacks, because if he were playing behind five second-raters, he�d be only above average, or perhaps lost to injury every year by Week 9. To me, that�s always been reason enough to cheer against him in the big games.
Now, another reason. According to Kos diarist teenvote, we see that Manning gave $2,000 to Bush last cycle and maxed out ($4,000) to Bob Corker in Tennessee. The only political-checkbook-opening Bear that teenvote could find happened to be their biggest star, linebacker Brian Urlacher. He gave $1,000 to Democratic Congressman Luis Gutierrez. On top of that, who would you rather see happy: Barack Obama and Jan Schakowsky or Richard Lugar and Dan Burton? And on top of that, Chicago rocks really hard.
Prediction: Bears 24, Colts 20.
--Michael Tomasky
